Apple Cobbler—More American than
Apple Pie!
By Nancy Baggett
Like many Americans, I have a particular fondness for the simple,
homespun fruit dessert called cobbler. And at this time of year,
when our apples are at their best and most abundant, it’s
easy to turn out an apple cobbler that’s exceptionally succulent
and tasty and almost guaranteed to be a hit! I find that combining
several different types of apples often yields the most flavorful
filling.
Despite
the old saying “as American as apple pie,” the apple
cobbler, and not the pie, is a true American dessert. Pies, in
fact, date back to sixteenth century Britain; cobblers were invented
here. Interestingly, although cobblers are often viewed as “old-fashioned,”
compared to pies they are fairly new to our dessert repertoire.
The first mention I’ve come across is in the 1839 cookbook
The Kentucky Housewife by Lettice Bryan. She noted in
a Peach Pot Pie recipe that the dish was often termed “cobler.”
(The spelling of the word was a little different then.) She added
that although not “fashionable” for company, the recipe
was “... very excellent for family use....”
While cobblers are widely known and quite popular today, they
were not commonplace in cookbooks until well into the twentieth
century. Early cobbler recipes were often deep-dish variations
on pies. Many featured pastry doughs rather than the biscuit crusts
that are more commonplace today. As Mrs. Bryan’s Apple Pot
Pie recipe (see the sidebar) reveals, versions usually included
both a side (or bottom) and top pastry. For some reason, recipes
also often called for turning the whole dish upside down before
serving it. This made for a rather messy looking treat! No wonder
Mrs. Bryan said her apple cobbler was a “homely” though
“good” dessert!
After baking powder came on the scene in the mid-nineteenth
century, cooks gradually began to ready cobblers featuring biscuit
dough instead of pastry. They also began including only a top
crust and serving the dish right side up, a step that greatly
improved its appearance. Today, the majority of cobblers call
for biscuit crusts, probably because many cooks find these quicker
and easier to make than pie dough. The unusual modern biscuit
topping in the recipe below is both exceptionally tasty and easy.
Tip: For an appealing late autumn variation
of this recipe, add 2/3 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
and reduce the apples to 8 1/2 cups. Also, reduce the lemon juice
to 1 1/2 tablespoons. This version makes a tempting and attractive
Thanksgiving dessert.
Easy Apple Crumble Cobbler
This fragrant, fine-tasting cobbler has a wonderfully crispy,
slightly sweet topping that complements the fruit beautifully.
The topping also holds up and stays crisp for several days. Instead
of being rolled and cut out, it is simply sprinkled over the apples
like a streusel. This makes the dessert look a lot like a crumble
or crisp, even though it definitely tastes like a cobbler. If
you’ve avoided trying a cobbler over concern about rolling
out and shaping the dough, this is the recipe for you.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9 cups peeled and sliced tart, flavorful apples, such as Stayman,
Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Empire, Braeburn, Rome, etc. (2
1/2 to 3 lbs.)
3 tablespoons water or apple juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (yellow part of skin)
Dough
1 2/3 cups all-purpose white flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Ice cream or whipped cream for serving, optional
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch by
13-inch baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
For the filling: Thoroughly stir together
the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a large, non-reactive
bowl. Stir in the apples, water, lemon juice, butter, and lemon
zest until well blended. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking
dish.
Transfer to the center oven rack and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile,
prepare the dough.
For the dough: Thoroughly stir together
the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add
the melted butter, stirring until incorporated. Add the egg to
the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until the mixture is blended
and clumped. Remove the dish from the oven, stir the fruit well,
then sprinkle the dough clumps evenly over the top.
Bake in the middle third of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until
well browned, crispy
on top and bubbly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to barely
warm before serving. Serve, spooned into bowls, along with ice
cream or whipped cream, if desired. Keeps, covered, at room temperature
for 2 days; refrigerate for longer storage.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
|
HEIRLOOM RECIPE - An Apple Pot Pie
Notice that in the following recipe from Lettice Bryan’s
1839 The Kentucky Housewife, she calls for rolling
out some “plain or standing paste,” which we
now refer to as pastry. She also mentioned using a “small
oven,” meaning a small Dutch oven. I haven’t
made this recipe, but I suspect my modern-day Apple Crumble
Cobbler is better!
Rub the bottom and sides of a porridge-pot, or small oven
with butter, and then with dry flour. Roll out some pieces
of plain or standing paste about half an inch thick, line
the sides of the pot or oven with the pieces of paste, letting
them nearly touch the bottom. Having pared and sliced from
the cores some fine cooking apples, nearly fill the oven
with them; pour in enough water to cook them tender, put
pieces of paste on the top, or put a paste all over the
top, and bake it with moderate heat, having a fire both
on and under the oven. When the apples are very soft, the
crust brown, and the liquor quite low, turn the crust bottom
upwards in a large dish, put the apples evenly over it,
strew on a large handful of brown sugar, and eat it warm
or cold, with sweet milk. This is quite a homely pie, but
a very good one. |
For a printable version of this recipe, go to our recipe
box Easy Apple Crumble Cobbler
